Edgar Meyer — American double bassist and composer

Style and instruments

Meyer performs on the double bass using both arco (bowed) and pizzicato (plucked) techniques, often employing virtuosic passagework, lyrical melodies and rhythmic drive. His writing and playing draw on classical training and on idioms from bluegrass, folk and jazz-inspired improvisation. That fusion creates works that are approachable for listeners of different backgrounds while remaining technically demanding for performers.

Collaborations and recordings

He has collaborated widely with leading musicians from classical and roots music. Notable collaborators include:

• Yo-Yo Ma
• Joshua Bell
• Béla Fleck
• Jerry Douglas
• James Taylor
• Mike Marshall
• Alison Krauss
• the members of Nickel Creek
• Mary Chapin Carpenter
• Béla Fleck (recording and touring partner)
• classical and bluegrass artists generally

He is sought after both as a collaborator and as a featured soloist, appearing on a wide range of recordings and projects that cross traditional genre boundaries.

Compositions and contribution

Meyer composes concert works, chamber pieces and shorter solo repertoire for the bass and other instruments. His compositions often deliberately blur the line between notated classical material and folk-based improvisatory elements. As a composer-performer he has expanded the instrument's repertoire and demonstrated new technical and expressive possibilities for the double bass.

Recognition and impact

Over his career Meyer has received significant critical recognition and awards for both performance and recording. Beyond prizes, his influence is visible in the way contemporary bassists, arrangers and composers approach cross-genre collaboration. For listeners and musicians alike, his work is a reference point for what the double bass can achieve as a solo and ensemble instrument.

Further reading and artist pages: biography, awards and recognitions, and selected collaborations with Joshua Bell and Yo-Yo Ma.